Elegir Conjugation | How to Conjugate Elegir in Spanish

Elegir means “to choose,” “to select,” or “to elect.” You will learn its g → j present forms, e → i changes, gerund eligiendo, the standard verbal participle elegido, and the documented form electo in its more restricted uses.

Elegir conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Irregular. Elegir follows an -IR pattern with several linked changes: elijo — “I choose,” elija — “that I choose,” eligió — “he / she chose,” and eligiendo — “choosing.” Use elegido — “chosen” — as the standard verbal participle in compound tenses; electo — “elected / chosen” — has a more restricted distribution.

Elegir gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — in compound forms. With haber, the participle remains invariant.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	elegir	to choose
Gerund	eligiendo	choosing
Past participle	elegido	chosen
Documented alternate form with restricted distribution	electo	elected / chosen, especially adjectivally and in documented passive use

Elegir meaning and essential uses

Elegir — “to choose / select / elect” — is transitive: the person or thing selected is its direct object. Elegimos una opción sencilla. — “We choose a simple option.”

It is also used for formal selection to a position: Eligieron a Marta presidenta. — “They elected Marta president.”

Elegir irregular conjugation patterns

The first-person present uses elijo — “I choose,” with g → j before o. The present subjunctive keeps the j in elija — “that I choose” — through elijan — “that they choose.”

The third-person preterite uses eligió — “he / she chose” — and eligieron — “they chose,” and the related subjunctive families inherit eligier-. The gerund is eligiendo — “choosing.”

Elegir indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Elegir present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current actions, habits, facts, and contextually near-future events. The present combines elijo — “I choose” — with the elig- forms eliges — “you choose” — and elige — “he / she chooses.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	elijo	I choose
Tú — you, singular informal	eliges	you choose
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	elige	he / she chooses; you choose (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	elegimos	we choose
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	elegís	you choose (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	eligen	they choose; you choose (plural)

• Elijo la opción más sencilla. — I choose the simplest option.

Elegir preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. The third-person forms use eligió — “he / she chose” — and eligieron — “they chose.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	elegí	I chose
Tú — you, singular informal	elegiste	you chose
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	eligió	he / she chose; you chose (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	elegimos	we chose
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	elegisteis	you chose (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	eligieron	they chose; you chose (plural)

• Ayer elegimos un nuevo representante. — Yesterday we chose a new representative.

Elegir imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. It uses the regular -IR imperfect endings.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	elegía	I used to choose / was choosing
Tú — you, singular informal	elegías	you used to choose / were choosing
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	elegía	he / she used to choose / was choosing; you used to choose / were choosing (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	elegíamos	we used to choose / were choosing
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	elegíais	you used to choose / were choosing (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	elegían	they used to choose / were choosing; you used to choose / were choosing (plural)

• Antes elegía siempre el asiento junto a la ventana. — I used to choose the window seat.

Elegir present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar — “to be” — plus eligiendo — “choosing.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy eligiendo	I am choosing
Tú — you, singular informal	estás eligiendo	you are choosing
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está eligiendo	he / she is choosing; you are choosing (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos eligiendo	we are choosing
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis eligiendo	you are choosing (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están eligiendo	they are choosing; you are choosing (plural)

• Estamos eligiendo los materiales. — We are choosing the materials.

Elegir near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir — “to go” — plus a — “to” — and elegir — “to choose.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a elegir	I am going to choose
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a elegir	you are going to choose
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a elegir	he / she is going to choose; you are going to choose (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a elegir	we are going to choose
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a elegir	you are going to choose (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a elegir	they are going to choose; you are going to choose (plural)

• Voy a elegir una fecha esta tarde. — I am going to choose a date this afternoon.

Elegir future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, when useful, probability. The endings attach to the full infinitive; this verb has no separate irregular future or conditional stem.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	elegiré	I will choose
Tú — you, singular informal	elegirás	you will choose
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	elegirá	he / she will choose; you will choose (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	elegiremos	we will choose
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	elegiréis	you will choose (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	elegirán	they will choose; you will choose (plural)

• Elegiré la opción más segura. — I will choose the safest option.

Elegir conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The endings attach to the full infinitive; this verb has no separate irregular future or conditional stem.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	elegiría	I would choose
Tú — you, singular informal	elegirías	you would choose
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	elegiría	he / she would choose; you would choose (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	elegiríamos	we would choose
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	elegiríais	you would choose (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	elegirían	they would choose; you would choose (plural)

• Elegiría otro camino si tuviera tiempo. — I would choose another route if I had time.

Elegir present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; its distribution varies regionally. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the participle elegido — “chosen.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he elegido	I have chosen
Tú — you, singular informal	has elegido	you have chosen
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha elegido	he / she has chosen; you have chosen (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos elegido	we have chosen
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis elegido	you have chosen (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han elegido	they have chosen; you have chosen (plural)

• Ya he elegido mi curso. — I have already chosen my course.

Elegir past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the participle elegido — “chosen.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había elegido	I had chosen
Tú — you, singular informal	habías elegido	you had chosen
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había elegido	he / she had chosen; you had chosen (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos elegido	we had chosen
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais elegido	you had chosen (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían elegido	they had chosen; you had chosen (plural)

• Habíamos elegido el mismo hotel. — We had chosen the same hotel.

Elegir future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the participle elegido — “chosen.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré elegido	I will have chosen
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás elegido	you will have chosen
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá elegido	he / she will have chosen; you will have chosen (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos elegido	we will have chosen
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis elegido	you will have chosen (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán elegido	they will have chosen; you will have chosen (plural)

• Para mañana habrán elegido al ganador. — By tomorrow they will have chosen the winner.

Elegir conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the participle elegido — “chosen.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría elegido	I would have chosen
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías elegido	you would have chosen
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría elegido	he / she would have chosen; you would have chosen (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos elegido	we would have chosen
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais elegido	you would have chosen (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían elegido	they would have chosen; you would have chosen (plural)

• Habría elegido una mesa más grande. — I would have chosen a larger table.

Elegir subjunctive conjugations

Elegir present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. The present subjunctive uses the elij- stem: elija — “that I choose” — through elijan — “that they choose.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	elija	that I choose
Tú — you, singular informal	elijas	that you choose
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	elija	that he / she choose; that you choose (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	elijamos	that we choose
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	elijáis	that you choose (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	elijan	that they choose; that you choose (plural)

• Quiero que elijas con calma. — I want you to choose calmly.

Elegir imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table; do not assume unrestricted interchangeability in every special construction. These forms inherit the eligier- family from the third-person plural preterite; the main table uses the -ra series.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	eligiera	that I chose
Tú — you, singular informal	eligieras	that you chose
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	eligiera	that he / she chose; that you chose (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	eligiéramos	that we chose
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	eligierais	that you chose (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	eligieran	that they chose; that you chose (plural)

• Preferían que eligiéramos una sola opción. — They preferred that we choose one option.
• Era mejor que eligieses un horario fijo. — It was better for you to choose a fixed schedule.

Elegir future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These rare reference forms use the same eligier- family as the imperfect subjunctive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	eligiere	if / when I should choose
Tú — you, singular informal	eligieres	if / when you should choose
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	eligiere	if / when he / she should choose; if / when you should choose (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	eligiéremos	if / when we should choose
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	eligiereis	if / when you should choose (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	eligieren	if / when they should choose; if / when you should choose (plural)

• Quien eligiere esta modalidad deberá indicarlo. — Whoever should choose this option must state it.

Elegir present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the participle elegido — “chosen.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya elegido	that I have chosen
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas elegido	that you have chosen
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya elegido	that he / she has chosen; that you have chosen (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos elegido	that we have chosen
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis elegido	that you have chosen (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan elegido	that they have chosen; that you have chosen (plural)

• Me alegra que hayas elegido bien. — I am glad that you have chosen well.

Elegir past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the participle elegido — “chosen.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera elegido	that I had chosen
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras elegido	that you had chosen
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera elegido	that he / she had chosen; that you had chosen (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos elegido	that we had chosen
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais elegido	that you had chosen (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran elegido	that they had chosen; that you had chosen (plural)

• Si hubiéramos elegido antes, habríamos pagado menos. — If we had chosen earlier, we would have paid less.
• Si hubieses elegido otra fecha, habría sido más fácil. — If you had chosen another date, it would have been easier.

Elegir future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the participle elegido — “chosen.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere elegido	if / when I should have chosen
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres elegido	if / when you should have chosen
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere elegido	if / when he / she should have chosen; if / when you should have chosen (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos elegido	if / when we should have chosen
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis elegido	if / when you should have chosen (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren elegido	if / when they should have chosen; if / when you should have chosen (plural)

• Si hubieren elegido representante, deberán comunicar su nombre. — If they should have chosen a representative, they must report the name.

Elegir imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. Spanish uses different morphological sources by person and polarity; the nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Elegir affirmative commands

Use affirmative commands for direct instructions when the meaning supports an instruction naturally. The table contains the five core addressee or exhortative rows.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	elige	choose
Usted — you, singular formal	elija	choose (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	elijamos	let’s choose
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	elegid	choose (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	elijan	choose (plural)

• Elige una respuesta. — Choose an answer.

Elegir negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no — “not / do not” — before the command form.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no elijas	do not choose
Usted — you, singular formal	no elija	do not choose (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no elijamos	let’s not choose
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no elijáis	do not choose (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no elijan	do not choose (plural)

• No elijas con prisa. — Do not choose in a hurry.

Common constructions with Elegir

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

• elegir algo. — to choose something.
• elegir a alguien para un cargo. — to elect / choose someone for a position.
• elegir entre varias opciones. — to choose among several options.

Example sentences with Elegir

These examples reinforce the target verb across useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

• Puedes elegir cualquier asiento libre. — You can choose any available seat.
• Eligieron a Ana para el puesto. — They chose Ana for the position.
• Todavía no he elegido el color. — I have not chosen the color yet.
• Espero que elijas una opción que te convenga. — I hope you choose an option that suits you.
• El comité elegirá al ganador mañana. — The committee will choose the winner tomorrow.
• Elige lo que necesites. — Choose what you need.

Regional and usage notes for Elegir

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes for project comparability. Voseo changes some common second-person singular forms in regions where vos — “you, singular informal” — is used.

• Vos elegís la opción final. — You choose the final option. (voseo)
• Elegí una respuesta. — Choose an answer. (affirmative vos command)

The compound-tense tables use elegido — “chosen” — as the learner form with haber — “to have” as an auxiliary. Electo — “elected / chosen” — is documented especially in adjectival use and also in passive constructions in broad areas of the Americas; do not treat it as freely interchangeable with elegido in compound tenses.

For elegir, keep the irregular families separate: elij- in the present-subjunctive family, eligier- in past-subjunctive reference forms, and eligiendo — “choosing” — as the gerund. Use elegido — “chosen” — in the compound-tense paradigm and recognize the restricted distribution of electo — “elected / chosen.”